* soy lattes is a classic example of something that can't be engineered

* soy lattes is a classic example of something that can't be engineered

−

* we know that 30% of kids create content on the internet and there are almost no gender differences or ethnic differences; what is clear, though, is that they don't see any boundaries - they don't think about whether you're in the library or not; we have to cope with other peoples' realities as well as our own

+

* we know that 30%+ of kids create content on the internet and there are almost no gender differences or ethnic differences; what is clear, though, is that they don't see any boundaries - they don't think about whether you're in the library or not; we have to cope with other peoples' realities as well as our own

* libraries can respond to all of these things; what is the problem that prevents them from doing this? have to align with the national level - have to play the "parents want their kids to succeed" card; we're all on the same page that libraries are important, although might have to play the relevancy card

* libraries can respond to all of these things; what is the problem that prevents them from doing this? have to align with the national level - have to play the "parents want their kids to succeed" card; we're all on the same page that libraries are important, although might have to play the relevancy card

* should position the library as a place to support user-generated content, especially for people who can't get that access elsewhere; lack of respect for facts so can educate but also instill with a respect for fact

* should position the library as a place to support user-generated content, especially for people who can't get that access elsewhere; lack of respect for facts so can educate but also instill with a respect for fact

Line 155:

Line 155:

* one page summary

* one page summary

** support/build a 21st century workforce

** support/build a 21st century workforce

−

** support for small business growth

+

** support for small business growth & development

+

** support civic/community culture in economic development partnerships and initiatives

+

** libraries set the table

+

** retool at the library

+

** "first we help you make a life - how let us help you make a living"

+

* overall message is "libraries are good business"

+

+

===Community===

+

* moral obligation (wide social gaps)

+

** create a Barnes & Noble for people who can't access them

+

** create libraries specifically to address information gaps

+

** deep level of involvement, response to bad and good times

+

** intensification of haves/havenots dichotomy

+

** "advancement of libraries is one of the cornerstones of one of our nation's information infrastructure"

+

*** we speak to some communities urgently and other communities in other ways

+

** are we about information anymore? maybe we're about connections - improve the quality of life

+

** agrees that there is a difference between making connections for people and providing ways for them to do it; if libraries are cornerstones 50 years ago, what did that mean? what does it mean now?

+

* two roles - cornerstones and connectors?

+

+

===Democracy===

+

* defined it as participation

+

* the library levels the odds and allows people to participate

+

* framework for a just society

+

* provide freedom and justice for all by enabling life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

+

* three areas (not the only three)

+

** universal access

+

*** broadband

+

*** capability - 21st century skills

+

*** create & access content

+

*** nurture culture of diversity of ideas & people

+

** protect & promote our freedoms

+

*** provide for open discussion

+

*** transparency

+

*** foster civic engagement & dialogue

+

*** voice of the people

+

*** inclusive, voice of the disenfranchised

+

*** own the table (not just be at the table)

+

**** be the public/community space

+

**** it's the one space where we can create common ground (not just applicable to public libraries)

+

** information is an essential service

+

*** serve in emergencies & crises

+

**** the library as the refuge for the information age

+

*** as vital as public safety

+

*** no safety without informed public

+

* in a participatory democracy, we enable people to imagine their own lives

+

+

==Power Statements from Breakouts==

+

* cultural preservation

+

** compelling taglines

+

*** SOS - Save Our Stories

+

*** our national heritage is at risk

+

** actions

+

*** remove policy barriers, including an exception to copyright law

+

*** build a more robust coordination of programs, a national legislative program for preservation

+

*** national education program for conservation with a focus on new individuals who can work on this; national information program

+

+

===Democracy (as participation)===

+

** universal access

+

** protect and promote our freedoms

+

*** own the table

+

** information is an essential service

+

*** the library as a refuge for the information age

+

+

===Education===

+

* from cradle to grave, lifelong learning

+

* ethical use of information

+

* an educational resource for all

+

* preparing people to use electronic information

+

* action items

+

** affect policy/funding decisions about libraries

+

** recognize and promote the role of librarians - facilitators, teachers, experts

+

** lead a coalition built around literacy; create a bigger environment

+

+

===Technology===

+

* started from the statement "great libraries are/do"

+

* a great place for users to have access to cutting edge technology, providing for innovation, creation, and connection at today's pace (changed it to "tomorrow's pace")

+

* action items

+

** usable access to information in all forms

+

** libraries provide access to egovernment services

+

** extend services beyond building into the community

+

** trained staff to help/support users

+

+

===Economic Development===

+

* message = libraries are good business

+

** ROI studies but not relying on them too much

+

* goals

+

** to support and help build a 21st century workforce

+

** support small business development and growth; becoming a center for business innovation; "retool at the library"

+

** support community economic development through partnerships and initiatives

+

* action items

+

** convene regional conferences on economic development (set this table!) - be the ones to invite these people in

+

** continue to lobby for the Workforce Investment Act and similar legislation

+

** position and fund libraries to become the one stop shop for economic development on a wholesale basis; mainstream this beyond the local level

+

+

===Community===

+

* looked at two different models

+

** libraries as cornerstones, more traditional

+

** move past that and look at libraries as connectors (the "Starbucks model" because it's a known entity) - how can we imbue libraries with this

+

* statement: libraries are 21st century places of opportunity that build strong communities and individuals

+

** people connect to and around and because of a place

+

** libraries are places where people connect to each other

+

** people connect to other ideas and opinions

+

** discover new resources to create knowledge

+

** libraries are flexible and mobile - where the people are

+

* action steps

+

** make an agreement that commands funding for physical and tech access

+

*** create a mechanism to increase predictability while preserving individualization

+

*** development of a National Library Card ("that's Hot!"); the way you can plug a flash drive in to any computer and use your own desktop, maybe library service could be like that

+

*** libraries are the pathway to individual and collective discovery

+

*** use the existing 2-1-1 number so that libraries leverage it to mediate information needs

+

*** every library is a wireless hub for its community

+

*** construction of resonant, flexible, and mobile buildings

+

*** libraries and communities are involved in active dialogue

+

+

==Comments==

+

* loves the National Library Card idea

+

* introduced a tiny bit of reality - libraries are locally funded; if there is a national card, you will see whole states stop funding libraries

+

* was thinking of the card more figuratively; local policies would still apply, but could get a temporary card or some other fit within the local framework; maybe call it a "national library passport"

+

* maybe it gets you on the internet workstations in every library

+

* emotive language; because we get a rise out of it, this is the next step; it resonates

+

* the idea of a flash drive you plug in to any library computer resonated with him

+

* does ALA policy already cover some of these issues? ALA has been good about sustaining and sorting out these issues? should we concentrate on new areas?

+

* the metaphor here is EZ-Pass

+

<br />

+

* suggestion for a "National Library Agenda Hackfest" to pare all of this down for everyone else

+

** Keith Michael Fiels

+

** Leslie Burger

+

** Molly Fogarty

+

** David B. Smith

+

* everything we've talked about is on ALA's national legislative agenda

+

* but there is a difference between saying we're talking about all of these things and that's why we want a 5% increase instead of a 3% and saying we can craft these into 3-5 breakthrough concepts that raise the visibility and open additional opportunities

+

* also have to start thinking about LSTA

+

+

==Hackfest==

+

===Libraries are places of learning===

+

* every child deserves an opportunity for educational success

+

* every adult deserves an opportunity for life-long success

+

* support certified librarians in every school

+

* support MLS children's librarians

+

* support voluntary education

+

* support for afterschool programs in every public library

+

+

===Libraries save our stories===

+

the past is our future

+

* support preservation and web archiving, exemptions to copyright

+

* national legislative funding for digital preservation

+

* national education program for digital information professionals

+

* 10 most @ risk per state

+

+

===Libraries bring new participatory technologies to communities===

+

access to emerging information technologies should be a basic right (on par with print) for innovation and creation and competitiveness

+

* access to participatory technologies should be a basic right for individuals

libraries contribute to local economy; help individuals build skills and jobs<br />

+

libraries help communities to be competitive<br />

+

libraries support innovation<br />

+

libraries are critical in the global information economy

+

* support and build a 21st century workforce

+

* support small business development & growth

+

* support economic development partnerships and initiatives

+

+

==Responses to Hackfest==

+

* wants to put the regional economic development conferences back in

+

* hackfest group tried to outline broad strokes and strategies, not micro steps - the conferences are definitely a valuable action

+

* curious what our takeaway line is from each of these? the only one he sees is "save our stories" which he thinks PBS has already used

+

* that everyone deserves great libraries

+

* or is it transformation?

+

* meshing of "libraries and you" that creates a great library

+

* "libraries make great communities"

+

* can flip that around for a referendum campaign and make it "communities make great libraries"

+

* great communities...great libraries

+

* where's the pizzazz?

+

* participation is key, people won't identify with "great communities" and "great libraries;" versus "it's useful if you build it" not "build it and they will come in;" it's really other people making things happen, at the point of need, so they make it happen

+

* there's no "u" in library!

+

* challenging ourselves to think outside of the box; what if we called it "ibrary" where people talk about themselves; it's my knowledge that is relevant to me

+

* would like to see more emphasis on the buildings; how do you take all of this vision and turn it into design? in terms of statements and objects that aren't impossible to use

+

* isn't sure one catchy tagline will resonate with legislators and the public and others; maybe we need more than one

+

* place issue is more important than just buildings - wherever our presence is; some of our virtual spaces are just as unusable as buildings built in 1900; maybe we look at presence - how do we describe physical and virtual spaces

+

* could incorporate more the spirit within the institution that is hospitable and welcome and that clarifies rather than confuses; what do you do to make people feel the presence belongs to them and that they are welcome and safe there

+

* maybe name it "relevant presence," both physical and virtual

+

* the library is the only remaining opportunity to build civic temples; blurring boundary between our public and private spheres; having trouble grappling with the value of these temples and how they will straddle these two spheres to be relevant to younger generations

+

* noted the number of empty Wal-Marts and K-Marts - maybe there's an opportunity there

+

* PSA contest of content created by library users using these new technologies

+

* at this level of discussion, we're not so concerned about building standards, etc., but what our conceptual model of a library is; is it a website or a building? more and more I think about it the way I think about other things - I want it to be convenient, pervasive, flexible; I don't care about how I "ought to" use the catalog - I want to use it the way I want to use it; I want to subtly reshape it to do what I want it to do

+

* is there something we have obviously neglected to take into account here?

+

* no, the real rub is that if you reconceptualize who you are and what do you want to be, what are you today, where do you want to be, and what is the gap? we don't want to look in the mirror and see that we're not what we want to be; will require heavy lifting to get us there; can always see what we wish we were and retrofit our language; constant tension between my library and our library; it's going to be both

+

* we're trying to adapt to an environment that hasn't taken shape yet; are we getting ourselves locked into harder and harder casts? we could become rigid in saying here's where we're doing okay, so don't bother me; I see too many people who are retired still in place

+

* when you have an agenda, it's a call to action; what I'm hearing is that investing in libraries is investing in the country, our communities, etc. what are we trying to get out of this? what is our agenda calling for? invest what for what?

+

* we want to bring the next generation of leaders into this - what do the younger people here think we should look like?

+

:-a younger observer related a story about an older colleague who said they'd already tried something, it didn't work, and it won't work; it's the people who behind the efforts, not just being in the space - that's not coming out here; to get more support for libraries, we need to get more support for the people in them - this is a piece that's missing; incubators for the future

+

:-we want to be reflective of our communities, but we keep taking things and not really figuring out how to engage people; "save our stories" is great, but how are we going to actually do something; missing connection that will grab people into these things

+

:-people as content creators - can put things in the library, not just take from it; this is your library and you are adding content to it

+

:-customized experience; web 2.0 works because people can use it

+

* making presumption that we'd be deploying predetermined services, but that's not what we're saying; would take into account community input; wishes we could squeeze in the notion of libraries playing a role in promoting tolerance and understanding; doesn't think we can get support for people to be wildly innovative, but maybe we need to state we need support for programs that support innovation, to try really over the edge innovation; supporting innovation incubation

+

* that means you have to commit that if you're laying the foundation for the future that once in a while you'll lay an egg; interesting egg of the internet is consumers creating content they can sell - what would a library look like if they modeled that?

+

* piece we continually miss is playing that out at the local level to make that happen; using libraries for physical discourse

+

* we have never found a way to replicate in this field once we found a successful model; sustainability of innovative projects

+

* we're turning the whole thing inside out and talking about looking at the users, not us; highlighted a research library that is completely rethinking what a 21st century research library looks like; look at it from user view, not institutional point of view; still thinks the audience is us; can we encapsulate the user point of view in a national agenda

+

* is thinking about libraries engaging with the community and the technology aspect of that; the concept of civic engagement has to go beyond just the library; opportunity to engage not just when you walk in the door

+

* we should have already learned that good ideas don't automatically mean sustainability; ALA has distinguished itself on a political agenda but needs a larger community upon which to expand; the rest of the world needs to be more involved with ALA's struggles; this plan must have multiple political dimensions to it

+

* we keep getting back to what is the role of libraries; we need a framework to have these discussions

+

* we honor the fact that people have so much stress in their lives - standard of quality; have to change the culture of the profession; thinks we pander too much to ourselves and it's tiring; we are elitist, we think the middle class rules; we only have 5-10 years to make this agenda real

+

** has to make public libraries and libraries in general as pertinent as the healthcare agenda

+

** we have to standardize quality of service

+

** has to be fungible and mobile to go where the people are

+

* types of libraries out there

+

** opens its doors and thinks its job is done; stagnant; nothing we say today will touch them but their circulation is declining and they affect our reputation

+

** does best practices, does PR, has discussions with the community; they're already dancing with the community; the sense of urgency is about the dullards and the real decline of libraries; we inherit their failure

+

** disagrees with standard of service because they would make us standardize on mediocre

+

* what people are actually experiencing in libraries has almost nothing to do with what we're talking about here; only 10% of positive comments in the OCLC Perceptions report were about the staff, which tells him the staff is invisible and isn't viewed as anything; can't hang our hat on that because people will say "what staff?" so much of what we do is to make the librarians happy but not the users

* how do you have this conversation with colleagues who haven't attended a conference in 20 years?

+

* need vision and leadership to move beyond stagnancy; need this to create the sense of urgency; an agenda around what is in the best interest of the common people in general - has been lost during the last few decades

+

* two incredible opportunities here based on explosion of networked participation

+

** people need the grounded experience libraries provide

+

** also an opportunity for librarians; I can get "stuff" with no problem, but I need a good coach, otherwise called a reference librarian

+

* national agenda can help with all of these things but could also be used in staff training; we'll never get rid of these horror movie librarians; framework for better customer service

+

* if we get an agenda out there for great libraries then we can measure against it and not accept substandard service

+

* people don't differentiate between types of libraries, how they are funded, and what people can do about it - would need an education campaign

+

* thinks it's great that we're talking so much about young people, but Boomers will be around for 20 more years

+

+

==Conclusion==

+

Leslie: needs more shake; need to distill all of this down to just a few pages; will get feedback from this group to make sure it is accurate; will then discuss it at ALA Midwinter conference, especially at division meetings<br />

+

could then rewrite again and send it out further to spur national conversation, maybe test it a little bit<br />

+

then if we have enough agreement, really begin to make an announcement and have a document ready by ALA Legislative Day<br />

+

<br />

+

* can also take it to SLA, ASIS, etc.

+

* opportunity to mobilize people at Annual around this, too, during Day on the Hill

+

* in all of this discussion, no one has mentioned trustees; they are the people making policy in the library and they need to be part of this

+

* this will also go to ALISE

+

* now we're back to talking amonst ourselves again, though, and not our communities; where do we want to have this discussion?

+

* C-SPAN

+

* maybe there's an opportunity to have that discussion in Washington D.C., too

+

* maybe folks that use this could film their discussions with local groups?

+

* National Day of Dialogue during National Library Week?

+

* can we frame this in a way that makes it easy for communities to have this conversation?

+

* can we create the dialogue in MySpace, Facebook, etc.? have that dialogue with them?

+

* Libraries and Librarians group on LibraryThing

+

* discussion will continue after Leslie's term ends

+

* there are two simultaneous discussions - libraries and the public and the public good, and revitalizing libraries and funding; legislative agenda needs a beginning and an end in its process; who really sets an agenda for libraries, so where would this kind of responsibility sit permanently?

Leslie Burger's Opening Comments

last night she did a search for "national agenda" and found out that everyone has one - motorcycle association, EPA agenda for the aging, etc.
believes we're on the right track
saw three major pieces in each

big guiding principles

action items - what do we need to do nationally

what can you do back in your local community to advance the agenda

what are we actually trying to create here?
asked the "observers" to engage in the conversation and not just observe

Recap

five arenas seemed to emerge last night

community

democracy

economic development

education

cultural preservation

Discussion

took away last night going from concept to tactical; need to focus on local

technology didn't enter the conversation enough; it's not just bandwidth

likes the idea of the guiding principles - need to have specific things can do and ask for with legislators

really believes we have to speak in the language of the user; have to make it simpler

the helping role of libraries

"the power of ten" - if a library is a destination in the city, what are the 10 things libraries can do there and how can the community build around that; what is the community's vision for its library and that will give you a structure for how to move your library forward; don't shape a vision for them - do it with them

agrees but adds the caveat that sometimes people know what a library is and can be

keeps asking his staff why they do things over and over and over again; libraries are often the first touchpoint for groups that turnover a lot in the community; have to be able to accommodate these kinds of differences; it's not just the common denominator, but also celebrating the differences

doesn't believe most people think of themselves as a "community"

agrees we need to pay attention to where users say they are, but there also has to be something more powerful that we're saying than reiterating what we already are; not an either/or situation; maybe we need some new words to really create power behind the message we want to convey

disagrees with the fact that folks don't see themselves as communities; believes there is a very deep hunger for community and libraries can be an answer for that; we should take advantage of that; people get what's wrong and they want to infuse their efforts in an institution they can trust and feel good about

disagreement about whether people use the word "communities" and identify with it

was thinking about boundaries last night; the new immigrant generation is exploiting technology much more so than previous ones; the image it creates of community for him is one of a place of different information resources; where is the boundary and how porous is it between library and community; question becomes managing that boundary

the library has become unimportant to college students; will technology make the library irrelevant? are we going to end up with an agenda that is compelling enough that we can justify with a straight face the expenditure of further funding from stressed ; have to be prepared to talk about Google and others who claim they will be the source for information; have to be prepared to talk about new services like Second Life; intelligent automated agents and the semantic web discussion about how it will replace reference librarians

is worried that we're not talking about the next generation of citizens; where do children get introduced to information? we have public libraries serving as school libraries; they are the next generation of voters - how do they get connected the next information world; need to examine who isn't sitting at this table

there are many communities within your local community and there are global communities

yes we need to talk about technology, but not as a separate area; it is integral to all of the arenas

there's an interesting dynamic for libraries - people don't necessarily operate in communities but they have a deep yearning to be part of something bigger than themselves; libraries are boundary-spanning institutions within the community - can connect people across boundaries; pathways can be created; we could aggregate people so they are using and supporting libraries or we could say we're also on a democratic mission to connect people across boundaries, which would be an additional role

some of this conversation is generationally-based; she doesn't see a difference between Google and librarians; thinks the competition concept comes from older librarians; people go to libraries when they have a need, which is a gap libraries fill

thinks it's the younger librarians that believe Google will replace reference and is worried about this

bothers her that we're talking about where we are, not where we want to be; we're all members of the public, too; was thinking about soy lattes and they weren't on the menu - that came from community requests; new book "the spider and the starfish" - people bring their library/website/ipods/whatever together; they use the best of it, regardless of where it is; we'll miss this kind of thing if we stay on this linear agenda

the flip side is if we make it too hard, they won't use it

soy lattes is a classic example of something that can't be engineered

we know that 30%+ of kids create content on the internet and there are almost no gender differences or ethnic differences; what is clear, though, is that they don't see any boundaries - they don't think about whether you're in the library or not; we have to cope with other peoples' realities as well as our own

libraries can respond to all of these things; what is the problem that prevents them from doing this? have to align with the national level - have to play the "parents want their kids to succeed" card; we're all on the same page that libraries are important, although might have to play the relevancy card

should position the library as a place to support user-generated content, especially for people who can't get that access elsewhere; lack of respect for facts so can educate but also instill with a respect for fact

a few things are holding us back as a profession, although they don't necessarily hold true for the people at this table

a legacy of success - we've done what we've done pretty well, especially in the absence of a crisis; so we have a legacy of things like a "balanced collection," 80% of which never circulates; a legacy of things that have worked in the past; makes it hard to push forward new models

asked how many people have used wikipedia? lots of hands. asked how many have edited wikipedia. fewer hands; web 2.0 really is about groups coming together to create content but who is monitoring to see if it is worthwhile content

once students know how to use library resources, they will use them; we are ignoring the fact that just because someone is computer savvy doesn't mean they are information savvy; they now know that one half of use of the library is electronic now, even as physical use is also increasing; we are coping with legacy but we are also looking at how to integrate the electronic resources in with the critical thinking piece

have again raised the audience question - obviously we need to do more within our community to have this discussion; have to be where the kids are (MySpace, etc.)

it's not just young people and the internet - how many people believe Fox News and Access Hollywood; people are contesting ideas in all kinds of media; the library brings an institutional standard, based partially on tradition and standard, but also on trying to capture a dynamic; need to get back to the role of this institution in society; no single answer - it's many things to many people

why don't we have any surveys that talk about legislators and their attitudes, on the local, state, and national level; we have surveys that talk about how our users feel about us, but they don't control the funding

"holding us back" phrase we were using; "holding us back" from doing what, being what, being where?

things are holding us back from more discussion within the profession; what we expect from our users and what we expect to offer them; making the jump the next level

the world has become very homogenized, even with the great amount of user-generated content, doesn't mean we have a diversity of ideas; we need to value what we contribute to this and why it's important why we be there

we can spend all our time opposing everything they're going to do that we don't like, but we are formidable when we come together around something

need to have a vision in order to do these things and move them forward; we are in fact here to build better libraries, not to decide if they are important

looking at the current political situation - we can position ourselves with those coming into power

thinks the 5-6 arenas we've identified are the right "neighborhoods," although they still aren't the agenda; they aren't independent, though; could work through that list to move forward

have to be careful about language - it's not just "the library" but also the "librarians," the staff; "you can get this at the library" is different from "you can consult with an expert"

we've been successful putting forward a positive agenda, but that hasn't translated into dollars and cents at the national level; the more we talk about libraries as community places, the more the federal level will see that as a local issue, which means it won't translate into money and funding at the national level

the "tipping point" at which the library makes the transformational change in the community; also about the transformational moment when the community transforms the library (new branch, new space, whatever); the physical building seems to be that point in most cases; personal story about how when the library put in a new online catalog with new services it became a transformational experience for him - could comment, could connect to other users, could connect with librarians; the other thing we have to transform is the experience of the user coming in online - the online catalog sucks; noted Casey Bisson's plans to open source MARC records - maybe that's the transformational moment for the online user nationwide; it's in your power to make your resources the first search result

cultural preservation is critical and is not just about the past; the incredible role libraries have in capturing the moment, not just the history

how about preservation and celebration

has a concern about embedding technology into the five arenas because believes we too often put technology behind everything while younger generations put it first and at the forefront

agrees and was going to suggest that we use technology as the banner and the arenas as subsets

disagrees because we're confusing the tool with the result; we don't have books up there

thinks technology in this context is substantively different and isn't just a tool

it's not either/or - could do both

maybe it's technology/innovation

if we're looking for national levels that resonate at that level, the competitiveness/innovation pieces lives strongly there

Breakouts

Ed Vielmetti will lead the technology group

Cynthia Nikitin will lead economic development group

Tracie Hall will lead the community group

Nancy Kranich will lead the democracy group

Jim Neal will lead the cultural preservation group

Cindy Phillip will lead the education group

Excerpts from Breakout Discussions

Education group

using information, not just finding it

ethical use of information; efficient/effective

literate and engaged populace

tech

immigrants

workplace skills

literacy is the umbrella, not just information literacy; it's a broad term, like learning

what about the stories of our lives, of our communities? getting down to the human language

our national life

our national intelligence (analog and digital)

and no one is in charge

SOS - Save Our Stories

so maybe an action item needs to be to work with our partners to identify what needs saving, without overlap, inventory, etc.

need to be creative inventing tools to automate these processes

maybe each state needs to identify the 10 things they need to preserve

maybe an annual list, then money comes in to do it

like "Save America's Treasures"

still need to grapple with this issue of capturing and preserving the flood of content being created on the web

not just online, but books and other things, too

Technology

what is "now" - is constantly changing

drive-up

automated

bookdrop

user-generated content

podcasting

learn with the kids

connectivity

quiet place

architecture

word list

frustrating

empowering

balance

bandwidth

opportunity

critical thinking

google scholar

security

safety

creativity

LibraryThing

disconnect

experience

Economic Development

be proactive - don't overly rely on ROI studies

libraries as economic engines

libraries as community centers and convention centers

libraries as civic space: marketplaces

if you know what the venture capitalist is looking for, can the library make those connections?

no silos

opportunities coming up with self-service options

is there a need for community outreach training? can we reallocate people?

one page summary

support/build a 21st century workforce

support for small business growth & development

support civic/community culture in economic development partnerships and initiatives

libraries set the table

retool at the library

"first we help you make a life - how let us help you make a living"

overall message is "libraries are good business"

Community

moral obligation (wide social gaps)

create a Barnes & Noble for people who can't access them

create libraries specifically to address information gaps

deep level of involvement, response to bad and good times

intensification of haves/havenots dichotomy

"advancement of libraries is one of the cornerstones of one of our nation's information infrastructure"

we speak to some communities urgently and other communities in other ways

are we about information anymore? maybe we're about connections - improve the quality of life

agrees that there is a difference between making connections for people and providing ways for them to do it; if libraries are cornerstones 50 years ago, what did that mean? what does it mean now?

two roles - cornerstones and connectors?

Democracy

defined it as participation

the library levels the odds and allows people to participate

framework for a just society

provide freedom and justice for all by enabling life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

three areas (not the only three)

universal access

broadband

capability - 21st century skills

create & access content

nurture culture of diversity of ideas & people

protect & promote our freedoms

provide for open discussion

transparency

foster civic engagement & dialogue

voice of the people

inclusive, voice of the disenfranchised

own the table (not just be at the table)

be the public/community space

it's the one space where we can create common ground (not just applicable to public libraries)

information is an essential service

serve in emergencies & crises

the library as the refuge for the information age

as vital as public safety

no safety without informed public

in a participatory democracy, we enable people to imagine their own lives

Power Statements from Breakouts

cultural preservation

compelling taglines

SOS - Save Our Stories

our national heritage is at risk

actions

remove policy barriers, including an exception to copyright law

build a more robust coordination of programs, a national legislative program for preservation

national education program for conservation with a focus on new individuals who can work on this; national information program

Democracy (as participation)

universal access

protect and promote our freedoms

own the table

information is an essential service

the library as a refuge for the information age

Education

from cradle to grave, lifelong learning

ethical use of information

an educational resource for all

preparing people to use electronic information

action items

affect policy/funding decisions about libraries

recognize and promote the role of librarians - facilitators, teachers, experts

lead a coalition built around literacy; create a bigger environment

Technology

started from the statement "great libraries are/do"

a great place for users to have access to cutting edge technology, providing for innovation, creation, and connection at today's pace (changed it to "tomorrow's pace")

action items

usable access to information in all forms

libraries provide access to egovernment services

extend services beyond building into the community

trained staff to help/support users

Economic Development

message = libraries are good business

ROI studies but not relying on them too much

goals

to support and help build a 21st century workforce

support small business development and growth; becoming a center for business innovation; "retool at the library"

support community economic development through partnerships and initiatives

action items

convene regional conferences on economic development (set this table!) - be the ones to invite these people in

continue to lobby for the Workforce Investment Act and similar legislation

position and fund libraries to become the one stop shop for economic development on a wholesale basis; mainstream this beyond the local level

Community

looked at two different models

libraries as cornerstones, more traditional

move past that and look at libraries as connectors (the "Starbucks model" because it's a known entity) - how can we imbue libraries with this

statement: libraries are 21st century places of opportunity that build strong communities and individuals

people connect to and around and because of a place

libraries are places where people connect to each other

people connect to other ideas and opinions

discover new resources to create knowledge

libraries are flexible and mobile - where the people are

action steps

make an agreement that commands funding for physical and tech access

create a mechanism to increase predictability while preserving individualization

development of a National Library Card ("that's Hot!"); the way you can plug a flash drive in to any computer and use your own desktop, maybe library service could be like that

libraries are the pathway to individual and collective discovery

use the existing 2-1-1 number so that libraries leverage it to mediate information needs

every library is a wireless hub for its community

construction of resonant, flexible, and mobile buildings

libraries and communities are involved in active dialogue

Comments

loves the National Library Card idea

introduced a tiny bit of reality - libraries are locally funded; if there is a national card, you will see whole states stop funding libraries

was thinking of the card more figuratively; local policies would still apply, but could get a temporary card or some other fit within the local framework; maybe call it a "national library passport"

maybe it gets you on the internet workstations in every library

emotive language; because we get a rise out of it, this is the next step; it resonates

the idea of a flash drive you plug in to any library computer resonated with him

does ALA policy already cover some of these issues? ALA has been good about sustaining and sorting out these issues? should we concentrate on new areas?

the metaphor here is EZ-Pass

suggestion for a "National Library Agenda Hackfest" to pare all of this down for everyone else

Keith Michael Fiels

Leslie Burger

Molly Fogarty

David B. Smith

everything we've talked about is on ALA's national legislative agenda

but there is a difference between saying we're talking about all of these things and that's why we want a 5% increase instead of a 3% and saying we can craft these into 3-5 breakthrough concepts that raise the visibility and open additional opportunities

also have to start thinking about LSTA

Hackfest

Libraries are places of learning

every child deserves an opportunity for educational success

every adult deserves an opportunity for life-long success

support certified librarians in every school

support MLS children's librarians

support voluntary education

support for afterschool programs in every public library

Libraries save our stories

the past is our future

support preservation and web archiving, exemptions to copyright

national legislative funding for digital preservation

national education program for digital information professionals

10 most @ risk per state

Libraries bring new participatory technologies to communities

access to emerging information technologies should be a basic right (on par with print) for innovation and creation and competitiveness

access to participatory technologies should be a basic right for individuals

Libraries create and strengthen community

Libraries are good business

libraries contribute to local economy; help individuals build skills and jobs
libraries help communities to be competitive
libraries support innovation
libraries are critical in the global information economy

support and build a 21st century workforce

support small business development & growth

support economic development partnerships and initiatives

Responses to Hackfest

wants to put the regional economic development conferences back in

hackfest group tried to outline broad strokes and strategies, not micro steps - the conferences are definitely a valuable action

curious what our takeaway line is from each of these? the only one he sees is "save our stories" which he thinks PBS has already used

that everyone deserves great libraries

or is it transformation?

meshing of "libraries and you" that creates a great library

"libraries make great communities"

can flip that around for a referendum campaign and make it "communities make great libraries"

great communities...great libraries

where's the pizzazz?

participation is key, people won't identify with "great communities" and "great libraries;" versus "it's useful if you build it" not "build it and they will come in;" it's really other people making things happen, at the point of need, so they make it happen

there's no "u" in library!

challenging ourselves to think outside of the box; what if we called it "ibrary" where people talk about themselves; it's my knowledge that is relevant to me

would like to see more emphasis on the buildings; how do you take all of this vision and turn it into design? in terms of statements and objects that aren't impossible to use

isn't sure one catchy tagline will resonate with legislators and the public and others; maybe we need more than one

place issue is more important than just buildings - wherever our presence is; some of our virtual spaces are just as unusable as buildings built in 1900; maybe we look at presence - how do we describe physical and virtual spaces

could incorporate more the spirit within the institution that is hospitable and welcome and that clarifies rather than confuses; what do you do to make people feel the presence belongs to them and that they are welcome and safe there

maybe name it "relevant presence," both physical and virtual

the library is the only remaining opportunity to build civic temples; blurring boundary between our public and private spheres; having trouble grappling with the value of these temples and how they will straddle these two spheres to be relevant to younger generations

noted the number of empty Wal-Marts and K-Marts - maybe there's an opportunity there

PSA contest of content created by library users using these new technologies

at this level of discussion, we're not so concerned about building standards, etc., but what our conceptual model of a library is; is it a website or a building? more and more I think about it the way I think about other things - I want it to be convenient, pervasive, flexible; I don't care about how I "ought to" use the catalog - I want to use it the way I want to use it; I want to subtly reshape it to do what I want it to do

is there something we have obviously neglected to take into account here?

no, the real rub is that if you reconceptualize who you are and what do you want to be, what are you today, where do you want to be, and what is the gap? we don't want to look in the mirror and see that we're not what we want to be; will require heavy lifting to get us there; can always see what we wish we were and retrofit our language; constant tension between my library and our library; it's going to be both

we're trying to adapt to an environment that hasn't taken shape yet; are we getting ourselves locked into harder and harder casts? we could become rigid in saying here's where we're doing okay, so don't bother me; I see too many people who are retired still in place

when you have an agenda, it's a call to action; what I'm hearing is that investing in libraries is investing in the country, our communities, etc. what are we trying to get out of this? what is our agenda calling for? invest what for what?

we want to bring the next generation of leaders into this - what do the younger people here think we should look like?

-a younger observer related a story about an older colleague who said they'd already tried something, it didn't work, and it won't work; it's the people who behind the efforts, not just being in the space - that's not coming out here; to get more support for libraries, we need to get more support for the people in them - this is a piece that's missing; incubators for the future

-we want to be reflective of our communities, but we keep taking things and not really figuring out how to engage people; "save our stories" is great, but how are we going to actually do something; missing connection that will grab people into these things

-people as content creators - can put things in the library, not just take from it; this is your library and you are adding content to it

-customized experience; web 2.0 works because people can use it

making presumption that we'd be deploying predetermined services, but that's not what we're saying; would take into account community input; wishes we could squeeze in the notion of libraries playing a role in promoting tolerance and understanding; doesn't think we can get support for people to be wildly innovative, but maybe we need to state we need support for programs that support innovation, to try really over the edge innovation; supporting innovation incubation

that means you have to commit that if you're laying the foundation for the future that once in a while you'll lay an egg; interesting egg of the internet is consumers creating content they can sell - what would a library look like if they modeled that?

piece we continually miss is playing that out at the local level to make that happen; using libraries for physical discourse

we have never found a way to replicate in this field once we found a successful model; sustainability of innovative projects

we're turning the whole thing inside out and talking about looking at the users, not us; highlighted a research library that is completely rethinking what a 21st century research library looks like; look at it from user view, not institutional point of view; still thinks the audience is us; can we encapsulate the user point of view in a national agenda

is thinking about libraries engaging with the community and the technology aspect of that; the concept of civic engagement has to go beyond just the library; opportunity to engage not just when you walk in the door

we should have already learned that good ideas don't automatically mean sustainability; ALA has distinguished itself on a political agenda but needs a larger community upon which to expand; the rest of the world needs to be more involved with ALA's struggles; this plan must have multiple political dimensions to it

we keep getting back to what is the role of libraries; we need a framework to have these discussions

we honor the fact that people have so much stress in their lives - standard of quality; have to change the culture of the profession; thinks we pander too much to ourselves and it's tiring; we are elitist, we think the middle class rules; we only have 5-10 years to make this agenda real

has to make public libraries and libraries in general as pertinent as the healthcare agenda

we have to standardize quality of service

has to be fungible and mobile to go where the people are

types of libraries out there

opens its doors and thinks its job is done; stagnant; nothing we say today will touch them but their circulation is declining and they affect our reputation

does best practices, does PR, has discussions with the community; they're already dancing with the community; the sense of urgency is about the dullards and the real decline of libraries; we inherit their failure

disagrees with standard of service because they would make us standardize on mediocre

what people are actually experiencing in libraries has almost nothing to do with what we're talking about here; only 10% of positive comments in the OCLC Perceptions report were about the staff, which tells him the staff is invisible and isn't viewed as anything; can't hang our hat on that because people will say "what staff?" so much of what we do is to make the librarians happy but not the users

would add that it's the governing bodies, too - it's the bureaucracy, too

how do you have this conversation with colleagues who haven't attended a conference in 20 years?

need vision and leadership to move beyond stagnancy; need this to create the sense of urgency; an agenda around what is in the best interest of the common people in general - has been lost during the last few decades

two incredible opportunities here based on explosion of networked participation

people need the grounded experience libraries provide

also an opportunity for librarians; I can get "stuff" with no problem, but I need a good coach, otherwise called a reference librarian

national agenda can help with all of these things but could also be used in staff training; we'll never get rid of these horror movie librarians; framework for better customer service

if we get an agenda out there for great libraries then we can measure against it and not accept substandard service

people don't differentiate between types of libraries, how they are funded, and what people can do about it - would need an education campaign

thinks it's great that we're talking so much about young people, but Boomers will be around for 20 more years

Conclusion

Leslie: needs more shake; need to distill all of this down to just a few pages; will get feedback from this group to make sure it is accurate; will then discuss it at ALA Midwinter conference, especially at division meetings
could then rewrite again and send it out further to spur national conversation, maybe test it a little bit
then if we have enough agreement, really begin to make an announcement and have a document ready by ALA Legislative Day

can also take it to SLA, ASIS, etc.

opportunity to mobilize people at Annual around this, too, during Day on the Hill

in all of this discussion, no one has mentioned trustees; they are the people making policy in the library and they need to be part of this

this will also go to ALISE

now we're back to talking amonst ourselves again, though, and not our communities; where do we want to have this discussion?

C-SPAN

maybe there's an opportunity to have that discussion in Washington D.C., too

maybe folks that use this could film their discussions with local groups?

National Day of Dialogue during National Library Week?

can we frame this in a way that makes it easy for communities to have this conversation?

can we create the dialogue in MySpace, Facebook, etc.? have that dialogue with them?

Libraries and Librarians group on LibraryThing

discussion will continue after Leslie's term ends

there are two simultaneous discussions - libraries and the public and the public good, and revitalizing libraries and funding; legislative agenda needs a beginning and an end in its process; who really sets an agenda for libraries, so where would this kind of responsibility sit permanently?